Momentum builds for reborn Mitsubishi Pajero

Grey nomads rejoice! The return of the legendary Mitsubishi Pajero is gathering pace.

And Mitsubishi Australia boss Shaun Westcott is enthusiastically endorsing the prospect of a large 4x4 SUV in the local line-up.

“There is a place for it,” he said.

The much-loved Mitsubishi Pajero was discontinued in Australia in 2022 after a 39-year, four-generation run, but it could be back as soon as 2025 based on the same new platform as the incoming Y63 Nissan Patrol.

Crucially, Mitsubishi is stressing a new Pajero would be its own development and not just a rebadging of alliance partner Nissan’s Y63 Patrol, which promises to be a technological leap forward from the current Y62 when it launches in 2024.

That means the real prospect that Pajero would adopt the new-generation P2-based plug-in hybrid system for heavy-duty 4x4s Mitsubishi has confirmed it is developing.

Mitsubishi is the designated leader on PHEV development within the alliance with Nissan and Renault.

A reborn Pajero would join the next-generation UT Triton-based Mitsubishi Pajero Sport due in 2025 in a formidable 4x4 SUV partnership for Mitsubishi in Australia.

The arrival timing of a new Pajero and Pajero Sport is based on a chart issued by Mitsubishi Motors in March as part of its Challenge 2025 business plan announcement.

It shows a three-row SUV arriving late 2024/early 2025 and a model called the PPV (Pick-up based passenger vehicle), which is the next Pajero Sport arriving in 2025.

The latest in a series of positive comments about the prospects for a reborn Pajero came from Westcott last week in an interview with carsales.

Asked if he’d like to see a large SUV such as the one listed in Challenge 2025 come to Australia, Westcott said: “Yeah, I’d like to see it, I believe there is a space in the Australian market for it.

“Australia is a country that likes their big SUVs,” he added.

“We believe there is a place for it in the marketplace, our parent company believes there is a place for it.”

Asked if he’d like this model to be called Pajero, Westcott deferred to comments made by Mitsubishi’s global boss Takao Kato.

“I am going to quote our global CEO who said Pajero is a very valuable and very powerful nameplate and whatever we replace it with would have to be very powerful and very significant,” Westcott said.

“I agree very strongly with our global CEO. He and I are very well aligned.”

When asked if a reborn Pajero would be a rebadged Y63 Patrol, Westcott responded: “I wouldn’t assume anything.”

He then again invoked Kato and his declaration that Mitsubishi would retain its own identity even as it shared platforms with alliance partners Nissan and Renault.

“We can and will rebadge cars where we need to, but as we have done with the [Mitsubishi] Outlander and [Nissan] X-TRAIL you can see it’s distinctively a Mitsubishi and we share a platform and obviously that is the benefit of the alliance for us.”

Westcott went on to emphasise the importance of powertrain choice for its future large SUVs and the Mitsubishi Triton ute. That has resonance with the Outlander and X-TRAIL because they share base engine technology as well as platforms but diverge when it comes to hybrids.

The only engine confirmed for Y63 Nissan Patrol so far is a 3.3-litre twin-turbo petrol V6, but Nissan has stated it could lean on Mitsubishi for alternate powertrains.

“Where we want to go is looking at drivetrains and improving and understanding where the world is going,” Westcott said.

“We have to reduce emissions globally, we all have that responsibility and our focus is on getting more efficient powertrains in those vehicles.”

* Digital images generated by AI

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